Evaluations

DeLeT: Graduates’ Perceptions of the Program and Their Preparedness for Teaching

The DeLeT program was established in 2002 in response to three decades of expansion in non-orthodox Jewish day schools. This created a demand for teachers prepared to teach in these new schools. In the 12 years since the program’s inception, DeLeT at Brandeis and HUC-JIR have prepared close to 200 teachers who are teaching across the nation in 18 states and more than 46 schools.

This report focuses on how DeLeT graduates from both programs perceive their preparedness for day school teaching, as well as how they perceive the DeLeT faculty and the programs’ strengths and weaknesses. It also examines similarities and differences between the two programs and offers possible explanations for the handful of differences identified. Such an in-depth examination of graduates’ perspectives provides valuable formative feedback to both programs. In addition, we anticipate that this report will be useful to funders and faculty at other Jewish teacher education programs who may be
interested in using the evaluation tools and procedures we have developed to learn about their graduates and identify areas for program improvement

The Jim Joseph Foundation invests in promising Jewish education grant initiatives. We partner with effective organizations that seek to inspire young people to discover the joy of living vibrant Jewish lives.